Brains Black is an exciting new stout from Brains. This finest Welsh stout has a bitterness and a distinctive dark malt flavour that is instantly recognisable as a true reflection of this style of beer. It has already proven extremely popular in consumer taste tests appealing to both new and established stout drinkers, and combined with its distinctive and contemporary identity, Brains Black is set to become a classic stout.

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Right after opening I heard the nitro canister to expel its magic. Nice nitro presentation with a black color with red rays once exposed to light and a thick consistent beige head with eternal retention. The head was as dense as it could be.Predominant aroma of milky chocolate, pretty straight forward. Maybe some pears.Flavor with notes of English earthy hops, wood, vanilla, grains, toasted malt, tart coffee and a bit of ashes.Dry and bitter aftertaste. Bitter comes definitely more from hops and roasted malt.Very light body hidden between the smooth feeling that nitro gives.Average stout with the differential on its clear present English hops. It sure could have a bolder body diminishing the watery feeling. (721 characters)

This brew was spied in sitting on a shelf in Plonk, how could I resist? "Braaains, the drink of choice for zombies everywhere!*" - it was ripe for parody, and I'm always up for parody (as long it's safe parody - remember to always wear a crash helmet whilst reading or performing parody). So Brains is made in Wales, which probably makes it the first Welsh beer I've ever wrapped my gob around. The marketing is explicitly styled in the vein of Guinness, and at 4.1% ABV I'm not expecting much.

Poured from a 440ml nitro-can into a nonic pint.

A: "Black as the ace of spades they were" to borrow a Monty Python quote, with a creamy 2cm beige head.

S: Roasted coffee/barley and not much else at all. Is this disappointing? For an Irish Dry Stout not really - they usually have a one-dimensional aroma, it's all about the flavour baby!

T: Not bad, not bad at all - it's Guinness with a hint of smoke. So yeah, roasted coffee/barley with a touch of chocolate and a long dry (it is a Dry Stout after all) finish. There is a metallic twang in the after taste (I hate you metallic twang!).

M: Mouthfeel impressed me most of all, for a 4.1% ABV Ale it has more body than expected (which is mid to light) and flat carbonation.

D: Overall as Guinness-clones go this is one of the better ones, borderline Murphy's good [steady on there buddy!]. Yes it is light on things like: aroma, flavour, mouthfeel, ABV, everything else that matters, etc... BUT! And this is a big BUT - this is a style characteristic of ALL Irish Dry Stouts. Sorry to be emphatic with my caps-lock key - I really wanted to drive home that point rather than give it cab fare. Irish Dry Stouts can be a bit bland, which I account to the fact that your average Irish drinker is seeking instant (and appropriate) Irish level drunkenness, also referred to as "the craic" hence the numerous stereotypes about them (and my ethnic background is mostly Irish so yes it's ok for me to perpetuate this stereotype: I have SPC† from my Irish ancestors).

A - Jet black, no light getting through. Beautifully creamy head with perfect definition and broad sheets of lacing. Regardless of the drawbacks nitro cans have, they really do produce a lovely looking pint.

S - Roasted malts, ash, some coffee and faint dark chocolate.

T - Pretty one dimensional with the roast, coffee and cream flavours, but it is pleasant. There are some subtle fruity esters also.

M - Perfectly smooth and creamy (thanks again mr nitro can), light to medium bodied, with no trace of carbonation.

O - Easily sessionable and I'd be happy to revisit again and again, but to be honest there is nothing too special here. (640 characters)

Pours a very dark brown, almost black, colour. Head is creamy and dense with nice sticky lace. Looks nice.

Smells kind of banana-esque with a sweet grain nose mostly, but hints of fruit esters as well - banana yes, but also apple pear and sultanas. Hint of brown sugar as well; really could do with more dark or roasty aroma. Bit meh.

Taste is a little better. First impression is more very bland English ale stylings with that bland, slightly fruity grain note. Gets a bit of darkness midway, hints of some chocolate grain but never really gets off the ground and remains very bland, mild and uninspiring. Really not much to report and am a bit disappoint.

Watery again, not much to it. Quite smooth but also just thin and uninteresting.

Very sessionable beer, but I wouldn't really drink this if I had the choice. (819 characters)